John Wallace’s musical life recognised by Outstanding Achievement Award
Professor John Wallace CBE, patron of the Scottish Brass Band Association, was presented with his 2024 SBBA President’s Outstanding Achievement Award on Saturday evening.
The award was announced by Carrie Boax at the SBBA annual general meeting last month, but John was unfortunately not present to receive the accolade personally.
The Romantic Brass concert by the cooperation band in Glasgow’s Sherbrooke Mosspark Parish Church was the occasion chosen for the special recognition to be made as the repertoire had been transcribed and inspired by the remarkable journey of the musician whose lifelong contributions to the brass band world have left an indelible mark.
The award was presented by SBBA honorary vice president Peter Fraser MBE (pictured below).
During his recent treatment at the Beatson Cancer Clinic – the charity chosen for the proceeds of the concert – John found solace and creative expression in transcribing works by Dvořák, Rimsky-Korsakov, Wagner and Schumann which formed the core of the programme.
An internationally renowned Scottish trumpet soloist, composer and educator, John started playing the trumpet when he was seven years old, and at 16, toured Europe with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. His professional career spans over five decades, playing with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra.
He has dedicated much of his career to the promotion of arts education, serving as Head of the Brass Faculty at the Royal Academy of Music in London, before becoming Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama).
He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, the Trinity Laban Conservatoire, the Leeds Conservatoire, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
As well as his career as soloist, John is the founder of the Wallace Collection, a brass ensemble currently based in St Andrews. The Wallace Collection has toured all over the world and is now based in Scotland as a partner of the St Andrews Music Participation (StAMP) Project, which has given 150 youngsters across Fife the opportunity to start learning a brass instrument since the start of the pandemic.
He also convenes the Music Education Partnership Group, which has worked tirelessly to secure free instrumental tuition in Scottish state schools.
John is also a recipient of the Queen’s Medal for Music, an award which was established in 2005 at the suggestion of former Master of The Queen's Music, the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The medal is awarded annually to an outstanding individual or group of musicians who have had a major influence on the musical life of the nation.
Saturday evening’s concert – under the direction of principal conductor Katrina Marzella Wheeler – was a powerful testament to the transformative power of music and its ability to connect, heal and inspire.
Katrina commented: “The cooperation band and I were delighted to be performing John’s transcriptions in a fundraising concert for the Beatson with guests from the hospital and special friends.”
SBBA and all brass musicians in Scotland send their congratulations to John on his latest well deserved recognition.
